Abstract
Several types of 3-dimensional (3D) biological matrices are employed for clinical and surgical applications, but few indications are available to guide surgeons in the choice among these materials. Here we compare the in vitro growth of human primary fibroblasts on different biological matrices commonly used for clinical and surgical applications and the activation of specific molecular pathways over 30 days of growth. Morphological analyses by Scanning Electron Microscopy and proliferation curves showed that fibroblasts have different ability to attach and proliferate on the different biological matrices. They activated similar gene expression programs, reducing the expression of collagen genes and myofibroblast differentiation markers compared to fibroblasts grown in 2D. However, differences among 3D matrices were observed in the expression of specific metalloproteinases and interleukin-6. Indeed, cell proliferation and expression of matrix degrading enzymes occur in the initial steps of interaction between fibroblast and the investigated meshes, whereas collagen and interleukin-6 expression appear to start later. The data reported here highlight features of fibroblasts grown on different 3D biological matrices and warrant further studies to understand how these findings may be used to help the clinicians choose the correct material for specific applications.
Highlights
Prosthetic abdominal wall surgical repair is a common procedure for the treatment of several types of hernias or lesions of the muscular inner body walls
To identify possible differences among specific 3D matrices commonly used in abdominal wall repair that may guide the choice of the best one suited for specific applications, improving clinical outcomes, in this study, we investigated fibroblast-matrix interactions by morphological analysis and by monitoring cell proliferation
The morphology of fibroblasts grown on different types of 3D matrices was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) 10, 20, and 30 days after their seeding
Summary
Prosthetic abdominal wall surgical repair is a common procedure for the treatment of several types of hernias or lesions of the muscular inner body walls. Prosthetic materials are increasingly used for other applications, such as mammary plastic surgery [2] These materials can be synthetic or of biological derivation. Synthetic meshes are generally made of polypropylene, polyethylene-terephthalate, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyester, or polyvinylidene-fluoride, and their features depend on the material weight and size of pores [3,4]. They confer strength and stability to the abdominal wall. Biological 3D matrices are derived from the extracellular matrix (ECM) of a variety of tissues and species They undergo sterilization, albeit different procedures can be used to this aim, and can be further processed by crosslinking
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